Here is my first attempt at a box call, so be gentle lol. I grew up working in a cabinet shop, so I thought it would be easy. It was not! Tuning is really meticulous/tricky, at least for a beginner. My goal is to get good enough so I can make a few for friends and family.

I'm really happy with how it sounds, I was wanting to get a mellow non- raspy sound and it took some doing. This call started out all walnut, but I just could not get the sound I wanted. I decided to try an oak lid and got the sound I wanted. The oak came from my property, so that is kinda special. Does oak make a good box? I've searched but haven't come up with much.

Scott,You did a beautiful job and if it sounds correct to your ear that's even better!!! I, personally, have never built the main body of a call with oak, however, the tightness of the grain that I see in the wood from which you made the lid would make me think that if you have enough of that stock left to make the main box of your next call it would probably work just fine. Oak is a wood with a more porous grain, as you know from working in the cabinet shop, so that may be why you don't see it used as call making wood. But that doesn't keep you from trying. You may need to experiment with different lid woods to get the sound you want while using the oak as your wood for the main box.By the way, is that crotch grain or stump/root grain in the paddle? Just curious. Experimentation and testing is part of building calls. Keep up the good work, your doing great! Ted

Dixie Belle, Thanks for your thoughts on my call. This is one of many planks that came from the crotch of a white oak that has mineralization. Unfortunately the miller cut the planks on the thin side and they won't work for the jewelry boxes/picture frames I had planned for them.

I've got some older burl oak I may try as a box, it is very tight grained. I have some cedar, walnut and butternut for boxes and madrone, hickory, cedar, oak, plum, and walnut for lids. I might be able to get a couple manzanita lids outta a large chunk. May be some interesting combinations, and experimenting is part of the fun I think. Thanks again.........Scott